Bihar food body embezzled grains meant for flood victims: CAG

Patna: The auditing regulator CAG has
found irregularities to the tune of Rs 25 lakh in foodgrain
supplies to the flood victims during August-October of 2007 by
the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation.
According to the CAG report for the fiscal ended March
31 2009, and presented by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil
Kumar Modi in the Assembly yesterday, the Corporation records
in February 2009 falsely mentioned usage of scooters and
motorcycles for transporting the grains.

While a scooter was shown to have carried 92.49 quintal
of foodgrain meant for flood relief, three motorcycles
together carried 274.15 quintals in 2008.

The report says the test check of the Corporation`s
records in February 2009 showed district manager`s office
Khagaria lifted foodgrain from the Mansi railway station and
transported it to its godown by truck between August 2007 and
October 2007.
It added that the audit to verify the vehicle
registration numbers of trucks used to transport foodgrains
showed that in 32 cases the indicated registration numbers
were either non-existent or registered as motorcycles, jeeps,
scooters and not as trucks.

The audit apprehends that the transactions of moving
foodgrain claimed to have been made under false truck numbers
actually never took place, it said, adding that 3,115.66
quintal of foodgrain worth Rs 25 lakh were claimed to have
been transported appeared to be embezzled.